'Wichcraft: Craft a Sandwich into a Meal--and a Meal into a Sandwich by Tom Colicchio, Bill Bettencourt (Photographer), Rhona Silverbush, Sisha Ortuzar

Product Details

Synopsis

Slow-roasted meats, marinated vegetables, surprising flavor combinations, this is not your mother’s sandwich.

With acclaimed restaurants located across the United States, and a high-profile job as head judge of the hit show Top Chef, Tom Colicchio is one of the best-known chefs and personalities in the culinary world today. His popular chain of ’wichcraft sandwich shops is known for crafting sandwiches with high-quality fresh ingredients prepared to Colicchio’s exacting standards. And since the first ’wichcraft opened in 2003, diners can’t seem to get enough.

In ’wichcraft, Colicchio shares the shops’ secrets with step-by-step recipes for all their best-loved offerings. You’ll learn how to create new classics like Roasted Turkey with Avocado, Bacon, Onion Marmalade, and Mayonnaise, and Sicilian Tuna with Fennel, Black Olives, and Lemon; and elevate basic cold cuts through imaginative combinations like Smoked Ham with Avocado and Butter, and Salami with Marinated Cauliflower and Bitter Greens. Routine staples are refashioned into unforgettable meals, like Onion Frittata with Roasted Tomato and Cheddar, and Slow-Roasted Pork with Red Cabbage, Jalapeños, and Mustard. ’wichcraft is stuffed with sandwiches like these, and many more, that will add something special to both your lunchbox and your life.

With 100 full-color photographs, recipes for pantry items including dressings and condiments, and a host of sandwich cookies and ice cream treats to round out your meals, this is the book to get a little ’wichcraft magic going in your own kitchen.

Publishers Weekly

When Colicchio, restaurateur and head judge of the TV show Top Chef, turned his attention to sandwiches, chances were slim that the result would look much like the pathetic specimens found in most brown bags. Instead, at 'wichcraft, the sandwich shop he created with Ortuzar, they built on a common realization of home cooks and chefs: the best sandwiches are made with food that was, or could be, part of a good meal-not just disparate elements that probably spent too long in plastic packaging. Hence, a breakfast sandwich of skirt steak with fried eggs and oyster mushrooms; a hearty meatloaf sandwich with cheddar, bacon and tomato relish; and recipes for condiments like balsamic onion marmalade. Classic sandwiches like roast beef or peanut butter and jelly are transformed by the use of freshly roasted meat and homemade jelly, but the book also features some of 'wichcraft's more unusual creations, such as the ravioli-inspired roasted pumpkin with mozzarella and hazelnut brown butter sandwich, as well as unexpectedly luscious dessert sandwiches. Those looking for the easiest, cheapest fare will not find much of it here, but anyone willing to put in the time and effort to find the best ingredients and prepare them well will be rewarded. Color photos not seen by PW. (Mar.)

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Biography

TOM COLICCHIO was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine before opening the acclaimed Gramercy Tavern in 1994. He received the 2000 James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York City and for Best General Cookbook in 2001 for his first book, Think Like a Chef. His groundbreaking restaurant, Craft, was awarded three stars by the New York Times and named the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant in America in 2002. The Craft restaurant family has grown to include Craftbar, Craftsteak, and ’wichcraft sandwich shops in New York City, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Colicchio is also the head judge of the hit Bravo reality show Top Chef and an avid lover of sandwiches. He lives in New York City.

SISHA ORTUZAR is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. After cooking in Chile, New Orleans, and New York City’s Gramercy Tavern, he cofounded ’wichcraft with Tom Colicchio in 2003. He lives in New York City.